There is an old joke that goes around Lutheran circles from time to time. "What do you get when you cross a Lutheran with a Jehovah’s Witness?" Anyone know what the answer is? "Someone who goes around knocking on doors and doesn’t know what to say."
It’s one of those kind of sad but true jokes about those of us who carry on the Christian tradition of Lutheranism. As many of our congregations and churches decline in numbers and giving and attendance, we scratch our heads in bewilderment. Why are we having such difficulties? Don’t we strive to do a good job of living out our Christian callings?
I mean, honestly, if we were to take stock of the things we do as a church, we would see that we really do a lot to promote the kingdom of God. And when I say church, I am not talking just locally, I am also talking about globally. As a congregation, we support the Sealy Christian Pantry which feeds the hungry. Out of our Community Care Fund, we help pay medical bills, electric bills, and get food to those who need it on the spur of a moment. We have done numerous fund raisers for community members and for people around the world. We work with operation Christmas Child and with Austin County Outreach during Christmas time to ensure kids who would not get Christmas gifts will get one. Our quilters gather on a monthly basis to provide quilts for Lutheran World Relief and for the Krause Home in Katy. And this is just the tip of the ice berg. Yes, there is a lot of good things our church does here locally.
But take that to a greater extreme as we look at what the ELCA does throughout the world. The ministries of the ELCA extend into Africa, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Asia. Lutherans from the United States help raise money and provide manpower to build medical clinics, provide fresh drinking water, build and equip schools, and teach folks how to farm and produce food. Those affected by tragedy, by earthquake and famine are reached through Lutheran World Relief. The ELCA combats global hunger by sending millions of dollars every year to World Hunger. And again, this is just the tip of the ice berg. The ELCA does an awful, awful lot of good things.
And, yet, why doesn’t this cause the church to grow? In spite of such action, the church continues to decline. It’s a bit of a mystery, don’t you think?
One could argue that the cause of the decline in the ELCA is due to a lack of following the Bible’s teachings and allowing our doctrine to become wishy-washy. There are more than a few critics of the ELCA who go on and on about the church losing its way and becoming too friendly with the surrounding culture to the point where it tries to make everyone feel good and allows folks to do whatever they want to do instead of what the Bible tells us we should do.
Point taken. I’ve been critical of such things myself; however, if this is the cause of the decline in the church, perhaps we can take a moment to look at our sister church, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. I don’t think anyone would argue that they don’t know what they believe and adhere to it vehemently. Our brothers and sisters in that denomination have toed the line when it comes to traditional interpretation of scripture and doctrine. And, how are they doing when it comes to growing and thriving? You don’t have to take my word for it, but the trend is down, and it’s been going down for a while. Just like the ELCA.
So, if just doing good doesn’t make the church grow...
And, if holding down traditional, orthodox belief doesn’t make the church grow...
What is it? If we know what we believe and if we do good things, isn’t that enough?
Well, honestly, any organization can do those things. Austin County Outreach knows what it believes and they do a lot of good. The Sealy Christian Pantry knows what it believes and they do a lot of good. The Salvation Army knows what it believes and they do a lot of good. Star of Hope mission knows what it believes and they do a lot of good. They are charitable organizations, just like us, but is there anything that sets us apart from such organizations? What makes us special in a long laundry list of places that do good deeds for one’s neighbor?
To answer, let me ask you a question: why do you go to church?
Think long and hard about that question before you answer it.
Why do you go to church?
Now, if you all were honest with me, you would all probably give me answers from across the spectrum. You’d all have your reasons and they would be good ones. You would probably feel very comfortable sharing those reasons with me, but let me now ask you this question: how would you feel answering that question to a complete stranger? How would you feel answering that question to someone who was critical of the church? Would you be able to articulate your faith without apology to someone who was asking you about it? And would you be excited about sharing your faith with another person in such a manner? Could you endure their questions? If there was something you didn’t know, could you honestly tell them you didn’t know the answer but you were striving to learn more? Could you tell them, with honesty, that attending church has changed your life?
For you see, my brothers and sisters in Christ, there is one thing which separates the church from any other type of organization that has core beliefs and attempts to do good for those around them. There is one thing that separates the church from any other place which has a 501c3. And that one thing is when people come to church, they come in contact with Jesus Christ. That’s the key. When people come to church, they should walk away knowing they have been in the presence of God. When you leave here this morning, it is my hope and prayer that you will leave knowing that God has reached down here this morning and touched your heart in some way, shape or form. It is my hope that you will hear or see something which helps you understand Him and make your heart leap with joy.
Oh, I know the jokes. I know how we Lutherans are supposedly the frozen chosen. Even in the hottest of Texas summers, it’s difficult to get Lutherans to react to anything. It’s hard to get us to sometimes crack a smile in worship. It’s hard for us to clap when a song touches our hearts. It’s hard for us to get excited about anything. Part of it is our culture. Part of it is our heritage. Part of it is what we have been taught about what is and what is not appropriate. But the question does stick with us: how do we convey to others the faith which has supposedly touched our hearts and made a difference in our lives? If good deeds is not enough, and believing the right things is not enough, then we might just have to think about what passes for evangelism these days?
In our Gospel lesson, John the Baptist looked at the evidence. He came in contact with Jesus, and John turned to those who trusted him and knew him and said, "I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God." Can you say those words yourself? Can you point to Christ and say, "I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God."? Can you? Or will you be the type who stands at the door and has nothing to say? Amen.
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